Every World Cup ball since 1970 has carried the adidas name, and the journey from the original Telstar to 2026’s TRIONDA tells its own story about how the game has changed. Adidas became the tournament’s official ball supplier for Mexico 1970, a partnership that’s lasted more than 50 years and counting.
That history takes on fresh relevance now, with England set to face cohosts Mexico in the round of 16 at 1am on Monday morning, and anyone checking Round of 16 odds will want to know more about the ball both sides will be playing with.
The Telstar
The Telstar’s 32-panel design, 12 black pentagons and 20 white hexagons, became so recognisable that it’s still the image most people picture when they think of a football, even though the design itself hasn’t featured in a World Cup for decades. It was named after the satellite responsible for the first live international TV broadcasts, fitting for a tournament that introduced colour television to many households. An orange and white version was also produced for visibility, though balls used in North American matches didn’t carry the Telstar name or the adidas logo at all.
The Tango and the Azteca
Argentina 1978 brought the Tango, which replaced the pentagon and hexagon pattern with curved triads, a design that held steady across five tournaments. Named after the dance that originated in 19th century Argentina, the hand-stitched ball was made in France and carried a waterproof coating. Mexico 1986’s Azteca then became the first World Cup ball made entirely from synthetic material, cutting down on water absorption in wet conditions, with its triad design adjusted to reference Aztec architecture and murals from the host country.
Tricolore and the Fevernova
France 1998’s Tricolore was adidas’s first multi-coloured World Cup ball, with its blue, white and red triads each featuring three cockerels as a nod to France’s national symbol. Korea/Japan 2002 broke from that pattern entirely with the Fevernova, whose four trigons represented wind turbines and whose syntactic foam layer offered extra cushioning for greater control.
Teamgeist and the Jabulani
Germany 2006’s Teamgeist moved away from stitched panels altogether, using 14 thermally bonded pieces that brought the ball to within one percent of a perfect sphere, with a special gold edition produced for the final. South Africa 2010 went further still with the Jabulani, built from eight 3D panels and genuinely spherical, its surface texture designed to maximise grip in all conditions.
Brazuca and Telstar
Brazil 2014’s Brazuca had its name chosen by more than a million public votes and went through testing with over 600 professional footballers before the tournament. Russia 2018’s Telstar 18 paid tribute to its 1970 namesake and introduced an embedded NFC chip, letting fans interact with the ball through their phones, before the red Telstar Mechta took over for the knockout stage.
Al Rihla and 2026’s TRIONDA
Qatar 2022’s Al Rihla became the fastest ball in World Cup history, and its adidas Connected Ball technology helped officials make faster, more accurate offside calls. Anyone following the 2026 World Cup betting through the qualifying rounds will have already seen TRIONDA, unveiled in October 2025 ahead of the 2026 tournament. Its four-panel design and red, green and blue colour scheme reference Canada, Mexico and the United States as co-hosts, with embossed icons on its surface designed to improve grip in wet conditions, continuing a tradition that started with a satellite-named ball more than five decades ago.
